Vote War
The Vote War was a war between Robaria and a Dorian-Daravian coalition that lasted from 365 DR to 374 DR. The war was fought in an effort to overturn universal male suffrage in Robaria, which the imperial coalition feared would breed revolt in their territories. Breakout of war Chancellor Grozdan Gev of Robaria made a declaration in Rasnosia 365 that the right of suffrage would be expanded to allow all male citizens of Robaria to vote in chancellory elections. This was positively received by the Robarial populace, but the kings of Daravia and Dorio were made nervous by his proclamation, so a short time later, Dorio's King Benedict IV declared war. Once he learned about the war, Armand II of Daravia joined the war on the Dorian side, and the two nations moved their forces into Robaria. Early clashes This was the first major Alarean war to make heavy use of firearms— the Hecrivastin tragpulver had reached Dorio in recent decades, and Robaria had had access to them for a large portion of the fourth century. Thus, tragpulverze were important weapons for all belligerents in the war, although neither side had significant knowledge of firearm tactics. This meant that many early battles had heavy bloodshed with little gain by either side, causing early disillusionment among soldiers. Daravia was hit especially hard by these battles, as their comparative isolation had granted them less access to the tragpulver. Tactical adaptations By the autumn of 366, Benedict IV had come up with several battle tactics that made effective use of the tragpulver; however, owing to the sheer size of the Dorian empire, it wasn't until that winter that the tragpulver units actually arrived in Robarial land. Meanwhile, Robaria was developing a separate slate of tactics, and so starting in 367 the battles began to be fought more expertly by both sides. A favorite Dorian tactic was to use an opening barrage of gunfire, and then to use the resulting smoke to conceal a charge; close combat was the Dorian area of expertise, and it prevented enemy soldiers from safely reloading their own guns. Meanwhile, the commonest Robarial tactic was to form a long thin line of soldiers, so that they could assault their foes from multiple sides and could not be trapped in a single area. In the late 360s, the imperial coalition managed to penetrate fairly deeply into Robaria itself, but this was part of the Robarial plan; with the bulk of Dorian and Daravian forces in the heart of Robaria, they had limited access to their home empires, and it was relatively easy to isolate them from supplies. This hurt morale among the imperial coalition, causing the enthusiasm of the Robarial urban poor to stand out even more markedly, and there were increasingly many losses of soldiers among the Dorians and Daravians. Second imperial wave In 370, the imperial coalition decided to send in a large coalition of soldiers from each of them to assault the Robarial border and overwhelm them with their greater numbers. The plan was to assault much of western Robaria at once in an invasion starting on 10 Parcother 370, but many of the Daravians were delayed by Sunicar obstructionism, so only a small force of Cadral Daravians attacked the northern portion of Robaria. However, the wave was effective for the most part, as the Dorian component of the force was able to overwhelm local Robarial armies and join up with the remnants of the original Dorian army. Meanwhile, Daravia was ineffective in its attempts to penetrate the Robarial border. Ratko Dobrastrun In the 372 election in Robaria, the first one with universal male suffrage, the military leader Ratko Dobrastrun was elected as chancellor. Although the imperial army was drawing close to Sadveria itself, Dobrastrun called for a new strategy: send Robarial forces to breach the Dorian and Daravian borders, and to start attacking Valatsa and Cadra. Since the original impetus for the war was to discourage upheaval in their territories, the penetration of Cadra and Valatsa— both at-risk provinces already— was incredibly effective. About two-thirds of the Dorian army turned back to defend Valatsa, and the remaining force in Robaria proper was severely defeated in the Battle of Sadveria in the spring of 374. Later in 374, Daravia left the war, after paying Robaria substantial reparations in the Treaty of Allicott. Army strikes In 375, ten years after Dorio first came to war against the Robarials, several platoons frustrated with the war went on strike and refused to fight. Benedict IV threatened to levy treason charges against the strikers, but this had little effect, and until high-level officers started issuing arrests the soldiers continued their stand. In autumn 375, a demoralized and limited Dorian army made a final march for Robaria. Meanwhile, the Robarial populace was excited by its imminent victory, and so they quickly routed the Dorians. In Granhumes 376, Benedict IV sued for peace, and over the ensuing months the Treaty of Palkonia was hammered out. This treaty ensured the protection of universal male suffrage in Robaria, and called for substantial war reparations from Dorio as well. Category:Wars